Lecture: Arpilleras: Evolution and Revolution

Lecture: Arpilleras: Evolution and Revolution

Chilean curator Roberta Bacic is a keynote speaker at the Third International Visual Methods conference in Wellington hosted by Victoria University and Te Papa. We are fortunate to also have her speak on the fascinating and politically-significant stories of arpilleras.

Arpilleras – tapestries or quilts sewn by women that ‘speak out’ visually about political repression and human rights abuses through their stitches – convey processes of resistance, memory and the search for truth and justice in a context of repression.

Since 2008, Roberta has curated more than 30 international exhibitions of arpilleras. Over time, these exhibitions have expanded from arpilleras from Pinochet’s Chile, to include expressions of loss, protest and healing from around the world.